Department for Business and Trade

Sub Post Offices: Repayments

Lord Mann: To ask His Majesty's Government how many sub-postmasters repaid money to cover shortfalls in the first 10 years of the Post Office's use of the Horizon computer system.

Lord Offord of Garvel: To date, 2745 former postmasters have applied to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme for those who suffered losses due to the Horizon IT System. There were 555 postmasters as members of the original Group Litigation Order against the Post Office. There were over 900 prosecutions during the relevant period. Therefore, around 4000 people could potentially have been affected by Horizon shortfalls, albeit over a longer time period than 10 years.

Overseas Companies: Human Rights

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that corporations domiciled in the UK are (1) legally liable for any human rights violations committed abroad, and (2) meet their obligations to provide effective remedies.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The UK has consistently supported the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on business and human rights. Implementation of the UNGPs supports access to justice and remedy for victims of business-related human rights abuses, wherever these occur. The Government is clear that it expects all UK businesses to respect human rights, in line with the UNGPs, and encourages businesses to voluntarily adopt due diligence approaches accordingly.The Government also operates the UK's National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines on Multilateral Enterprises, which engages UK businesses to increase awareness and understanding of these voluntary principles and standards for responsible business conduct.

Companies: Audit

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have tomake regulations under section 493 of the Companies Act 2006 to require public disclosure of the terms of audit appointment.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Government has no plans to make regulations under section 493 of the Companies Act 2006 to require public disclosure of the terms of auditor appointments.

Treasury

Mortgages: Interest Rates

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent cuts to mortgage rates announced by lenders; and what assessment they have made ofthe prospects of further reductions to mortgage rates in the near future.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Inflation reduces real incomes, creates uncertainty, and threatens our growth outlook so it’s essential that the government continues with its efforts to drive it down and not fuel it further. The path to lower interest rates is through low inflation, and the government is fully committed to supporting the Bank of England get inflation back down to the 2% target, including by keeping borrowing under control. While the pricing and availability of mortgages is ultimately a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene, our plan is working, and the average offered mortgage rates on 2-year and 5-year fixed rates have now fallen from their peak in Summer 2023.

Cabinet Office

Fujitsu: Contracts

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government how many contracts they have currently open with Fujitsu, and what their value is.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: This information is not centrally held by the Cabinet Office. However, details of central Government contracts with values above £12,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search. To collate all of this information would incur a disproportionate cost to the department, especially as contracts are held and procured across multiple Government departments.

Public Sector: Technology

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the wrongful convictions that occurred as a result of faulty Post Office Horizon software, what plans they have tointegrate advanced oversight technologies that ensure accuracy and reliability of software used in public service systems to prevent any future issues.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: This was one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in our nation’s history, which is why we set up an independent inquiry to establish culpability and are bringing forward legislation to make sure those convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal are swiftly exonerated and compensated. It is right that we do not pre-empt the conclusions of the ongoing, formal inquiry, but once the full facts are established we will consider all options. The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), in the Cabinet Office, established in April 2021 to lead the Government’s Digital and Data Function, is the strategic centre for digital transformation which includes measuring services against digital and technical standards. CDDO is defining best practice patterns and practices for software delivery to ensure high quality software delivery via the automation and regular testing of software quality throughout development. Use of ‘oversight technologies’ such as automated testing would follow user technology good practice, user needs and the risk profile of the system. In addition to the software testing, a core requirement of the development process, the Service Assessment Model assesses newly created services, checking for evidence that departments are regularly monitoring and mitigating quality and reliability issues.

Honours

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government what arethe current geographic locations, where known, for all living recipients of Companions of Honour.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave on 19th July 2023, PQ HL9063. We do not collate the geographical data for The Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) recipients in each list nor do we track the current geographic locations for all 64 living CH recipients. All honours, including CH awards, are awarded on the basis of merit, not location. However, we are committed to improving overall representation in the honours system to ensure that we are recognising deserving individuals from across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom.

Honours

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government how many honours, by each award level, were received in each region or nation of the UK in the New Year’s Honours 2024; and what percentage of the population of each such region or nation that number represents.

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government how many honours above OBE level were awarded to people who were (1) living in, or (2) working or providing service to, the South Yorkshire area at the time of their nomination for an honour in the New Year’s Honours 2024 list.

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government how many honours above OBE level were awarded to people who were (1) living in, or (2) working or providing service to, the Sheffield City Region at the time of their nomination for an honour in the New Year’s Honours 2024 list.

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government, in the combined Mayoral authority of South Yorkshire, how many residents received an award above the level of MBE in the New Year’s Honours 2024 list.

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the recipients of honours in the New Year's list 2024 have already received recognition in previous honours lists.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Statistical information held in relation to the regional breakdown of recipients at all levels for the New Year Honours List 2024 can be found below. Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal point. Data for CBE and higher levels has been aggregated and is also included below. Data reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. Data is collected using county and aggregated into regional figures. Information on the number of nominations by mayoral region, including for both South Yorkshire and Sheffield is not captured, as we are unable to break down the data in that way. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office. Transparency data for the list by county, the level of award received and the service for which each recipient has been recognised for, as well as information on recipients recognised in previous honours lists is publicly available on gov.uk. Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK, including South Yorkshire, in future honours lists. Regional breakdown - New Year 2024 list (1224)  Region BEMBEM%MBEMBE%OBEOBE%CBE & HigherCBE & higher%TotalPopulation %East369.5%398.4%198%117.1%1059.3%Yorkshire & Humberside307.9%275.8%125%74.5%768.2%London4311.4%9521.5%6226.2%6240.2%26213.4%North East91.8%112.3%52.1%10.6%264.0%North West318.2%5211.3%145.9%74.5%10411.0%Northern Ireland4311.4%286.1%83.3%21.2%812.8%Scotland297.6%459.8%239.7%138.4%1108.2%South East5414.3%5912.8%3615.2%2314.9%17213.7%South West359.2%286.1%166.7%117.1%908.4%Wales287.4%306.5%114.6%42.5%734.7%West Midlands230.2%265.6%135.5%21.2%648.9%East Midlands153.9%194.1%177.2%74.5%587.2%Living abroad10.2%----21.2%3-Total377 459 236 152 1224

Fujitsu and Post Office: Public Appointments

Lord Mann: To ask His Majesty's Government which board members of the Post Office Limited or Fujitsu have been appointed to roles in the public sector since 2005.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is not responsible for and does not hold information on appointments made across the whole of the public sector, which would include appointments to local authorities, education establishments, the NHS and other public bodies. The Cabinet Office holds data on appointments made to bodies listed in the Public Appointments (No. 2) Order in Council 2023, as well as some other categories of public sector roles. Public appointments are announced on GOV.UK.

Government: Procurement

Lord Kempsell: To ask His Majesty's Government whatproportion of the Government's Major Projects Portfolio are subject to a formal evaluation of their outcomes; and whether the proportion has increased since 2020.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: A review by the Prime Minister’s Implementation Unit in 2019 found that only 8% of the spending on Major Projects had robust impact evaluation plans. The Evaluation Task Force is currently undertaking a new review of evaluation in the current Government Major Projects Portfolio, which now represents £805 billion of whole-life costs, compared with £432 billion in 2019. The findings from this new review, alongside an action plan that describes how improvements will be made, is planned to be published this year.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Waste

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provideeducation and outreach programmes to consumers to reduce food waste and promote sustainable food choices.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Defra funds the Waste and Resources Action Programme’s citizen campaigns such as Food Waste Action Week (18-24 March 2024) and Love Food Hate Waste, which aim to raise public awareness of food waste and the ways in which we can all reduce it. We support retailers and food businesses with the development of best practice advice and guidance to make sure their products help consumers to waste less, for instance, through storage advice. To support consumers who wish to make more sustainable food choices, Defra is developing a mandatory methodology for the voluntary labelling of food and drink products.

Flood Control: East Midlands

Lord Mann: To ask His Majesty's Government what funds are available for environment agency flood alleviation projects in each county in the East Midlands.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Environment Agency is committed to better protecting the East Midlands and the area remains a high priority. In the previous financial year 2022/23, the Environment Agency’s East Midlands Area, which encompasses Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire as well as parts of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, spent a total of £35.5 million of Grant in Aid funding on flood alleviation projects. The Environment Agency’s investment plan currently projects spending £155.6 million across the area between 2023/24 and 2026/27. The table below shows the funding split for each of the counties. Investment that benefits more than one county is captured in the row titled ‘cross county boundaries’. Grant-in-Aid (GiA) CountiesPrevious Financial Year 2022/23 (£m)Programme 2023/24 – 2026/27  (£m)Cross county boundaries3.723.4Derbyshire15.559.7Leicestershire1.37.8Nottinghamshire11.153.1Yorkshire0.22.0Lincolnshire3.79.6Totals35.5155.6

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Cultural Heritage: Cybersecurity

Lord Kempsell: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are takingto improve the cybersecurity of publicly-funded cultural institutions after the recent cyberattack on the British Library.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Government Cyber Security Strategy sets out our plan significantly to harden the Government’s critical functions against cyber attacks by 2025, with all Government organisations across the public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities no later than 2030. We are working closely with publicly-funded institutions to enhance their overall cyber-resilience and to ensure that these targets are met.The National Cyber Security Centre and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have been working closely with the British Library since the cyber-attack it sustained in October 2023. The British Library is working hard to restore its services and began a phased return of key services on 15 January 2024.

Public Service Broadcasting: Equality

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase (1) racial, and (2) gender, diversity in senior management positions in public service broadcasters other than the BBC.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government remains committed to ensuring that the broadcasting sector – including our public service broadcasters – is representative of the country in which we live, and offers equality of opportunity to people of all backgrounds.Under the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom has a duty to promote equality of opportunity in relation to employment in the broadcasting sector.Responsibility for the appointment of senior managers sits with individual broadcasters. HM Government welcomes the work being done by them and other industry participants to improve diversity at senior levels.

Home Office

Home Office: Training

Lord Godson: To ask His Majesty's Government how much theHome Office has spent on the Issues in Countering Terrorism course by the Centre for Defence Studies at King's College London in the last 12 months, and on what dates the training has taken place.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Issues in Countering Terrorism course, delivered by King's College London, was held four times in 2023: 28th February to 2nd March; 28th to 30th March; 18th, 19th and 21st September; and 18th to 20th December. The FCDO has spent £109,583.68 on those courses in total, with 32 people attending each course. The course is administered through a Cabinet Office contract.Civil servants attend a variety of training courses in order to learn. As required by the Civil Service Code, and as the public rightly expects, all civil servants must act impartially.

Asylum: Bibby Stockholm

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government who owns theBibby Stockholmbarge in Portland Harbour; and how much the Government are paying for usage of the barge for accommodation of asylum seekers.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Bibby Stockholm is owned by the Bibby Line Group.Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential. Therefore, the Home Office does not publish this information. However, total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at:Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023 (publishing.service.gov.uk)HO Annual Report and Accounts 22/23 (pdf, 9727.7KB)

Immigration Controls: Overseas Students

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what stepsthey havetaken to ensure that measures to reduce legal migration do not damage the reputation of the UK’s university sector or imperil their financial sustainability.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: An Impact Assessment was produced and considered in developing the student package of reforms. We regularly engage with a range of stakeholders when developing policy.In March 2019, the Government published the International Education Strategy: global potential, global growth. It set out two key ambitions to achieve by 2030: to increase education exports to £35 billion and to increase the numbers of international higher education students studying in the UK to 600,000. This has been achieved earlier than planned over the last two years.

Police and Crime Commissioners: Managers

Lord Bach: To ask His Majesty's Government, of the Police and Crime Commissioners elected in May 2021, how many have appointed new chief executives of their offices since their election; of those, which have subsequently appointed further chief executives, including interim chief executives, and on how many occasions.

Lord Bach: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total cost by force area of the severance payments paid to chief executives of offices of police and crime commissioners in each of the financial years 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24 to date.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office does not collect data regarding the senior appointments made by Police and Crime Commissioners or any severance payments made.Senior appointments, their salaries and any payments are a matter for individual Police and Crime Commissioners. As the locally elected representative for policing, they are ultimately responsible for appointing their chief executive, balancing their budget and making decisions about the size and composition of their offices.PCCs are required by the Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) (Amendment) Order 2021 to publish information relating to the composition of their office; the salaries of their senior staff; and financial information, including planned expenditure of the office of the police and crime commissioner, and audited accounts.

College of Policing

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any plans for an independent review of the College of Policing.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: An independent review of the College of Policing will take place in 2024/25 as part of the Public Bodies Review programme.

Visas: Afghanistan

Baroness Coussins: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 18 December 2023 (HL Deb col 2048), on what date they announced that housing in the UK need not be secured before a visa for relocation to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy or Afghan citizens resettlement scheme can be issued.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: On 8 November 2023, the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs gave an oral statement to the House of Commons stating that those eligible under ACRS and ARAP no longer needed to be matched to suitable accommodation prior to their arrival.

Asylum: Bibby Stockholm

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask His Majesty's Government on how many occasions an asylum seeker has been given fewer thanfive days' notice before a transfer to the Bibby Stockholm.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: All asylum seekers are given 7 days' notice of a move to the Bibby Stockholm and within this have 5 working days to submit any representations.

Visas: Afghanistan

Baroness Coussins: To ask His Majesty's Government whether visas for relocation to the UK under (1) the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, and (2) the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme, include a date of issue.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Vignettes that are issued under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) include a date of issue.

Electric Scooters

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to curb the illegal use of e-scooters.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Enforcement of road traffic law, including in relation to the illegal use of e-scooters, is an operational matter for Chief Officers who will decide how to deploy available resources, taking into account any specific local problems and demands. The Government will continue to support the police to ensure they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation, including those relating to offences involving e-scooters.

Department for Transport

Railways: North of England

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Davies of Gower on 20 December 2023 (HL1202), what specific action they have taken to make additional rolling stock available to the train operator, and whether actual or potential consequent loss of revenue is considered when such decisions are made.

Lord Davies of Gower: Cross Country trains are continuing discussions with the rolling stock market and it is hoped that confirmation of its future fleet will be made public in due course. In assessing the Business Case for additional train fleet, actual or potential loss of revenue is one of the factors that are considered in making such decisions.

Buses: Safety

Lord Hampton: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to form an independent crash investigation unit for bus safety incidents where serious injury or death has or might have occurred, based on the RailAccidentInvestigation Branch, Air Accidents Investigation Branch, and Marine Accident Investigation Branch.

Lord Davies of Gower: We have no plans to form an independent investigation unit specifically for bus safety incidents. However, as Lord Hampton is aware, the Automated Vehicles Bill includes measures for the Secretary of State to appoint ‘inspectors of automated vehicle incidents’. These inspectors will have the necessary powers to conduct safety investigation on self-driving vehicles to ultimately increase road safety across the transport mode. If it was the case that a self-driving vehicle was involved in an incident with a bus, or the bus was self-driving, then these inspectors could investigate it.More widely, our National Bus Strategy, published in 2021, made clear that the bus sector must strive for the highest safety standards, upheld by the Traffic Commissioners. The Strategy required all Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) to publish a local Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). The Department was clear that BSIPs should include plans on how LTAs and local bus operators will work together to ensure that bus services are safe and perceived to be safe by all. This may include measures such as appropriate passenger safety training for bus drivers to deal with emergency situations on or off the bus, and encouraging bus operators to liaise with local police and other stakeholders to address safety concerns.

Castle Line: Standards

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Davies of Gower on 20 December 2023 (HL1201), when they expect any further services to be reintroduced between Nottingham and Lincoln, as passenger numbers now exceed those before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Davies of Gower: No further services are planned to be reintroduced between Nottingham and Lincoln stations, as services are now back to the regular frequency that was historically the case.

Railways: Finance

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 21 December 2023 (HL1254), to what extent foregone revenue and delay repay compensation are taken into account when they are considering increasing the capacity of railway services.

Lord Davies of Gower: The department considers a range of factors including demand, revenue impact, cost to taxpayers, network capacity and operational performance when considering whether to increase rail services. Delay repay compensation varies with operational performance and is not considered directly when assessing potential new services.

Great Western Railway: Rolling Stock

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Davies of Gower on 20 December 2023 (HL1200), what discussions they have had with Hitachi about using their Newton Aycliffe plant to alleviate overcrowding, in particular between Cardiff and London, by repairing damaged rolling stock to enable services to be run with the scheduled number of carriages.

Lord Davies of Gower: Great Western, as the operator of the trains, is in continual contact with their delivery partners to ensure that any sets that are damaged are repaired in a timely manner and at the most appropriate repair location.

Railways: Hydrogen

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have toexplore green hydrogen as a solution to railway emissions.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Transport Decarbonisation plan has committed to delivering a net zero rail network by 2050, with an ambition to remove all diesel-only trains from the network by 2040. While Government expects electrification to remain the dominant zero emission technology, the government supports the deployment of alternative traction such as battery and hydrogen to decarbonise the network where it makes operational and economic sense.Through the First of a Kind competition, the Department granted £750,000 to facilitate trials of the UK's first hydrogen-powered train, HydroFLEX, to enable a better understanding the operational feasibility of hydrogen trains. The government welcomes further innovation of hydrogen technology for the railway and will keep this under review. The Department will continue to work with the Great British Railway Transition Team to develop future options to decarbonise the railway.

Railways: Crew

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of train drivers under instruction.

Lord Davies of Gower: Train operators are responsible for the operational movements of their train drivers. The Department does not hold information on the number of train drivers under instruction.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Empty Property

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to give local councils more powers to deal with empty homes and reduce the waiting list for council housing.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The UK Government wants to encourage empty homes back into use, and empower local leaders to invest in their communities. Local authorities already have many powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes and it is right that local leaders decide how to use those tools to meet local housing needs. It is for local authorities to decide when to use their powers to deal with empty properties, and they have the flexibility to focus on locally determined priorities and allocate their resources accordingly.Local authorities have a range of powers and incentives at their disposal to bring empty homes back into use. These include, Empty Dwelling Management Orders, council tax exemptions and premiums, enforced sales, compulsory purchase, and measures to secure the improvement of empty properties. A range of other initiatives and incentives are aimed at reducing the number of empty properties, including the sale of empty Government owned homes and planning measures.

Refugees: Northern Ireland

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government how many Ukrainians have been hosted with families in Northern Ireland since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

Baroness Penn: As on 16th January 2024, 1,456 Homes for Ukraine guests have arrived in Northern Ireland. The most up to date data on arrivals through the Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ukraine-sponsorship-scheme-visa-data-by-country-upper-and-lower-tier-local-authority.Ukraine sponsorship scheme (pdf, 565.6KB)

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Men

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the expected combined impact on the size of the adult male prison population of the Sentencing Bill, the Criminal Justice Bill, and the Victims and Prisoners Bill.

Lord Bellamy: The Government is taking action to reform the justice system and reduce the pressure felt on our prison estate through measures introduced in the Criminal Justice Bill, Sentencing Bill, and the Victims and Prisoners Bill. This is to ensure we continue to have capacity to crack down on crime, reduce reoffending, and protect the public from the most dangerous offenders.Publishing impact assessments is routine alongside the legislative process and the current estimates for the impact of the announced measures on the future population have been published and can be found on the gov.uk pages on each Bill. As the Bills progress through Parliament, if an update to these estimates and impact assessments are required, then these will be updated and republished during Bill progress.

Treatment of, and Outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Individuals in the Criminal Justice System Independent Review

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish an updated progress report on implementation of recommendations in David Lammy MP’sReview into the treatment of, andoutcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicindividuals in the Criminal Justice System,published in September 2017.

Lord Bellamy: This Spring, the Government will update Parliament regarding the work of the Inclusive Britain strategy, as it did in April last year. As we work towards this, we are also considering what further updates may be provided from the Ministry of Justice regarding our work to tackle racial disparities in the Criminal Justice System, including the work we committed to in response to the Lammy Review.

Prisons: Overcrowding

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce overcrowding in adult male prisons (1) by extending the use of non-custodial sentences, (2) by reducing the remand and recall prison populations, and (3) by improving public understanding surrounding current (a) levels of crime, and (b) sentence lengths.

Lord Bellamy: In certain circumstances, there is persuasive evidence that community orders and suspended sentence orders are more effective than sentences of immediate custody in reducing reoffending. In the Sentencing Bill, currently before Parliament, the Government is introducing a presumption to suspend short custodial sentences. The offender would then serve their sentence in the community.In terms of the remand and recall populations, we are working with our partners across the criminal justice system to safely manage the system and protect the public. This includes raising awareness of, and removing barriers to, the use of bail where appropriate as an alternative to remanding defendants in custody, including on 2 August 2023 publishing a new EM Court Bail Protocol. For recall, we have issued guidance to probation staff to ensure all safe alternatives to recall are considered before a decision is taken, and we have re-invigorated the Secretary of States power, under Section 255(B) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, to release recalled offenders following a risk assessed recall review without reference to the Parole Board.Upholding public confidence in the criminal justice system is a core priority and we continue to work to deliver this. Whilst improving public understanding is a valuable and important goal, it does not, by itself, affect the prison population.

Young Offenders: Sentencing

Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to extending the measures in the youth justice system concerning reduced custody lengths to male offenders aged between 18 and 21.

Lord Bellamy: There is a distinct and separate sentencing framework for children aged 10 to 17 which recognises that children have their own specific needs which require a different approach. The Government currently has no plans to extend this framework to offenders aged over 18.The Sentencing Council’s overarching and offence-specific guidelines include age and/or lack of maturity as a mitigating factor, as it can affect the offender’s responsibility for the offence and the effect of the sentence on the offender which may justify a reduction in the sentence. Courts must follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, unless it is in the interests of justice not to do so.The Council is currently consulting to revise the Imposition of community and custodial sentences guideline. Proposals include a new section focused on the effective sentencing of young adult offenders (aged between 18-25 years).The Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service are committed to developing approaches which respond to young adults’ specific needs relating to their maturity and development, pre-sentence at court as well as while on a custodial or a community sentence.

Prisoners: Mental Health Services

Lord Bradley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many applications for transfer from prison to hospital were decided (1) within the target timescales set by the HM Prison and Probation Service Mental Health Casework Section, and (2) outside the target timescales; and of those transfers decided outside of the target timescales, what was the average length of delay, in each of the lastfive years.

Lord Bellamy: In August 2019 and following consultation with stakeholders, the Mental Health Casework Section (MHCS) of HM Prison and Probation Service introduced a target of five calendar days to authorise a warrant to transfer prisoners from prison to hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983. A transfer may be authorised only when two medical reports and all other relevant information is received as required under the statutory criteria set out in section 47 (for sentenced prisoners) and section 48 (unsentenced prisoners, civil prisoners and immigration detainees) of the Mental Health Act 1983.The information requested can be found in the tables below. We have not disclosed for 2019 as to do so would be at a disproportionate cost. In addition, we have not disclosed for 2023 as the information requested is a subset of transfer data that we are scheduled to publish on 25 April 2024.Table 1. Applications for Transfer Decided within TargetYear202020212022Cases completed within target (5 days)8931005975Cases completed outside target (5 days)816354Proportion of completed cases concluded within target92%94%95% Table 2. Average (median) delay days for authorized applications 202020212022Average (median) number of days above the target (5 days) to authorise a prisoner transfer warrant for cases completed outside target1068 Notes:1. Applications authorized within 5 days are within target.2. Average is based on completed/authorized cases. Data sources and qualityWe have drawn the figures in these tables from the Public Protection Unit Database (PPUD). As is common with figures from large scale recording systems, figures in these tables are subject to data entry and processing errors. As a result, these numbers are subject to revision as more data become available.

Prisoners' Release

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners sentenced to detention for public protection (1) have never been released, (2) have been returned to prison on breach of licence, (3) are currently in the community under supervision on licence, and (4)were released on licence for the first time within the last three years.

Lord Bellamy: We have provided the data requested, as follows:As of 30 September 2023, 36 prisoners serving a DPP sentence have never been released. As of 30 September 2023, 49 prisoners are serving a DPP sentence in custody having been recalled. As of 30 June 2023, 99 offenders are serving a DPP sentence on licence in the community. Table 1: Shows the number of people sentenced to DPP released for the first time from prison, in each of the last three years. Release YearNumber of DPP prisoners released2020102021720223Jan - June 20234* Please note:(1) The numbers provided in table 1 result from a matching between two databases - Prison National Offender Management Information System (NOMIS) data and Public Protection Unit Database (PPUD) data. A total of 13 prisoners identified in the PPUD data did not have an associated NOMIS identifier and so were not included. The figures provided here are an estimate based on these two sources and as inconsistencies in recording between these two sources exist, the figures should be treated with caution.(2) The figures in table 1 represent 'first releases' only, and do not include re-releases following a period of recall.(3) All figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.(4) All figures represent the most recent available data.(*) Data for 2023 only include releases up to end of June 2023 - reflecting the most recent published data period. On 16 October 2023, the Lord Chancellor announced he would be looking at options to curtail the licence period to restore greater proportionality to IPP/DPP sentences in line with recommendation 8 of the report by the Justice Select Committee (JSC), published on 28 September 2022.The Lord Chancellor announced on 28 November 2023, that these changes are being taken forward in the Victims and Prisoners Bill.The new measure will:Reduce the qualifying period which triggers the duty of the Secretary of State to refer an IPP/DPP licence to the Parole Board for termination from ten years to three years;Include a clear statutory presumption that the IPP licence will be terminated by the Parole Board at the end of the three-year qualifying period;Introduce a provision that will automatically terminate the IPP/DPP licence two years after the three-year qualifying period, in cases where the Parole Board has not terminated the licence; andIntroduce a power to amend the qualifying period by Statutory Instrument. The Lord Chancellor was persuaded by the Committee’s recommendation to reduce the qualifying licence period from 10 years to five years and is going further: reducing the period to three years. These amendments will restore greater proportionality to IPP/DPP sentences and provide a clear pathway to a definitive end to the licence and, therefore, the sentence.In addition to these changes, the actions this Government are taking are working; the number of prisoners serving the IPP/DPP sentence who have never been released now stands at 1,269 as of September 2023, down from more than 6000 in 2012.

Counter-terrorism: Training

Lord Godson: To ask His Majesty's Government how much the Ministry of Justice has spent on the Issues in Countering Terrorism course by the Centre for Defence Studies at King's College London in the last 12 months, and on what dates the training has taken place.

Lord Bellamy: The ‘Issues in Countering Terrorism’ course by the Centre for Defence Studies at King’s College London is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, rather than by the Ministry of Justice, and administered through a Cabinet Office contract. Therefore, Ministry of Justice spend on the course is zero.In the last 12 months, the course took place on the following dates: 28 February to 02 March; 28 to 30 March; 18, 19 and 21 September; and 18 to 20 December.

Prisons: Telephones

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the cost per minute tomake a call from (1) a prison wing payphone, and (2) an in-cell phone, to (a) a landline, and (b) a mobile phone, at (i) weekends, and (ii) weekdays.

Lord Bellamy: The cost per minute for prison wing payphone and in-cell phones are:Calls to UK fixed lines:3.10 pence during the week midnight Sunday to midday Friday  2.75 pence during the weekend midday Friday to midnight SundayCalls to UK mobiles:6.88 pence during the week midnight Sunday to midday Friday  4.50 pence during the weekend midday Friday to midnight Sunday Prisons are able to limit when calls can be made and the duration of time an individual can use a PIN phone for on a given day. These limitations will reflect the local capacity to handle multiple calls concurrently and their requirement to resource the monitoring of specific calls.Prisoners pay for their own calls using prison earnings or money sent into them from family and friends. Calls to organisations such as the Samaritans are free to prisoners with HMPPS paying for these directly.

Prisons: Telephones

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion ofcells in (1) the female prison estate, and (2) the male prison estate, have in-cell telephony; and what proportion of cells in each prison have that facility.

Lord Bellamy: There are a total of 10 Women’s Public Sector Prisons (8 closed and 2 open) in England which are run by His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service.All cells in the 8 prisons within the women’s closed estate have 100% In-Cell Telephony.Neither of the 2 prisons within the women’s open estate have any In-Cell Telephony, 0%.There are a total of 97 Men’s Prisons (84 closed and 13 open) in England and Wales, which are run by His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service.Of the 84 closed men’s prisons:78 prisons have received In-Cell Telephony throughout, 100%.4 prisons are currently at the end of implementation, therefore these prisons are 98% live with In-Cell Telephony and should complete within the next two weeks.2 prisons are at implementation stage and are due to complete on February 24, therefore the proportion is currently 0%.Of the 13 open men’s prisons:1 prison has In-Cell Telephony throughout, 100%.12 prisons do not have any In-Cell Telephony, 0%.It is important to note that there are limitations to call usage on these devices. The PIN Phone system enables this as it can be configured on a site by site basis to best suit the needs of the site. This configuration applies to the time scales in which calls can be made, the number of calls which a single prisoner can make within those timescales and also the maximum amount of time the prisoner can spend on calls.Additionally, each prisoner is issued a unique PIN number which they will use to make outside calls. These PIN numbers are pre-loaded with calling credit and also contain pre-approved numbers which security have sanctioned for the prisoner to use. The prison can configure the system to decide when the phones will be available to the prisoner. Support frameworks such as the Samaritans are accessible 24hrs a day via a dedicated PIN number which is available to prisoners.

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals in receipt of (1) the pre-2016 and (2) the post-2016 state pension do not receive the full amount.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: As of the quarter ending May 23, There are 2,350,493 people in receipt of the pre-2016 basic State Pension that do not receive the full amount. This represents 25% of the pre-2016 State Pension population.There are 1,670,257 people in receipt of the post-2016 new State Pension that do not receive the full amount. This represents 49% of the post-2016 new State Pension population. Source: Stat-Xplore - Table View (dwp.gov.uk) Please note, statistical disclosure control has been applied to these estimates to avoid the release of confidential data. Where relevant, totals may not sum due to the disclosure control applied. There are a range of reasons for why an individual may not get the full rate of State Pension as the amount of State Pension paid to individuals varies depending on their National Insurance record. In addition to the basic State Pension (pre-2016) people may also receive some earnings-related additional State Pension. For most individuals reaching State Pension age in the early years of the new State Pension (Post-2016), transitional arrangements apply. Under these arrangements, people could have a State Pension of more or less than the full rate of new State Pension depending on their National Insurance record when they reach State Pension age. The average amounts people receive are available on Stat-Xplore. It is also possible that some of these people may qualify for income related benefits such as Pension Credit and Housing Benefit.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Salford

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government how many staff, and at what grade, will be located in the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology office in Salford by the end of 2024.

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government whether provision has been made for Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Ministers to be located at the new Salford offices, and what proportion of their time will they expect to be there.

Viscount Camrose: The department is committed to having 25% of roles outside of London and the southeast by 2027. Based on current headcount figures in Salford, this would equate to an increase of 58 staff per year and so the projected headcount for the end of 2024 is 172 staff based in Salford. The department’s Places for Growth targets are not based on grades. There is no formal stipulation for Ministers to spend a proportion of their time in Greater Manchester or any other growth location. The department works with Ministerial offices to support visits to growth locations where possible.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Retirement

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to changing the policies determining retirement dates for members of the Armed Forces.

The Earl of Minto: The single Services have responsibility for setting their own retirement ages. Royal NavyWith the exception of Medical, Dental and Nursing Officers who can serve up to age 60 in some cases, retirement age in the Royal Navy is typically age 55. Service beyond age 55 to age 60 or beyond is offered on a case-by-case basis in order to meets the needs of the Service. The Royal Navy is considering implementing a retirement age of 60 for all personnel but has not yet undertaken the work needed to determine the implications and cost of doing so. ArmyThere is no single retirement age for Army personnel; retirement age varies depending on the commitment made with each Service Person. Engagements of differing lengths are offered to accommodate the operational needs and outputs of the Army together with the requirement to maintain the structure of a hierarchical organisation. Individuals may apply to serve beyond 60 where there is a Service need including senior staff officer appointments, deep specialists, and full-time reserve service contracts. Retirement age is frequently reviewed in light of changing Defence tasks, the needs of the Army and the benefit of Service Personnel, whilst aligning them with changes to Armed Forces Pension Schemes.  Royal Air Force (RAF)The RAF carries out an annual review of its Terms and Conditions of Service legislation to ensure that it remains fit for purpose and provides the right personnel support required to achieve its operational commitment. This includes the engagements, commissions, and consequential retirement dates of its personnel. Although no changes are currently planned, we continually assess this policy to ensure it provides the appropriate platform from which the RAF can deliver its operational output. Individuals can have their service extended beyond their mandatory end-of-service date based on an exceptional Service need.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reintroduce local recruiting offices for the Armed Forces.

The Earl of Minto: Armed Forces Careers Offices (AFCO) continue to provide core support to the Armed Forces' national recruiting activities. The geographic footprint of AFCO across the UK is complemented by dedicated call centres and online recruiting operations, ensuring that members of rural or isolated communities have the same opportunity to apply to the Armed Forces as anyone else. In addition, the Services conduct outreach engagement programmes across the whole of the UK, delivering events such as career fairs and roadshows, supported by web-based information services and social media campaigns. These recruitment activities are further supported through strategic partnerships such as with JobCentrePlus, who provide additional face-to-face touchpoints with potential applicants. The Armed Forces regularly review their recruiting activities and associated resource in accordance with the requirement.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to re-examine Capita’s involvement in recruitment in the Armed Forces.

The Earl of Minto: There are no plans to re-examine Capita’s involvement in recruitment in the Armed Forces. The Army will continue its Recruiting Partnering Project contract with Capita, which has been extended to March 2026.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government how many men and women were recruited into (1) the Army, (2) the Navy, and (3) the Air Force, in each of the past five years; and how many vacancies there are currently in each service.

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government how many men and women were recruited intothe armed forces reserves in each of the past five years; and how many vacancies are there currently.

The Earl of Minto: Data on recruitment into the three Services is presented in the tables below. The Integrated Review and Spending Review (IR/SR) introduced greater flexibility in how Defence could employ its workforce types (Armed Forces Regular, Reserve, Defence Civilian and Contractors). This has made the continued use of a fixed workforce requirement for individual components of the Whole Force less appropriate. We are in the process of agreeing a new Indicative Planned Strength (IPS) which reflects both the Whole Force Strategic Workforce plans that are being finalised and changes in organisational structure introduced following the IR/SR. Comparison of the IPS and published statistics on Armed Forces strength will make any shortfalls evident. Table 1: UK Regular1 Personnel Intake2 by Gender4 in the past five years5 in each Service 1 Oct 2018 to 30 Sep 20191 Oct 2019 to 30 Sep 20201 Oct 2020 to 30 Sep 20211 Oct 2021 to 30 Sep 20221 Oct 2022 to 30 Sep 2023Total14,88014,59017,07011,98010,470Female1,6001,6301,9401,4201,220Male13,28012,96015,13010,5709,250RN/RM3,2903,7803,9503,1602,400Female350390420310280Male2,9403,4003,5202,8502,120Army9,0808,47010,6006,7606,310Female8208801,030730660Male8,2607,5909,5706,0305,650RAF2,5102,3302,5202,0601,760Female440360490380280Male2,0801,9702,0401,6801,480 Source: Analysis (Tri-Service) Table 2: FR203 Personnel Intake by Gender4 in the Past five Financial Years5 in each Service 1 Oct 2018 to 30 Sep 20191 Oct 2019 to 30 Sep 20201 Oct 2020 to 30 Sep 20211 Oct 2021 to 30 Sep 20221 Oct 2022 to 30 Sep 2023Total5,7105,0205,7003,7203,780Female900760950600540Male4,8204,2704,7503,1203,240RM/RN970800770350470Female1501501507050Male820640610280420Army4,0803,6804,4402,8902,880Female540470690400390Male3,5403,2103,7502,4902,490RAF660550500480430Female200130110130100Male460420390350330 Source: Analysis (Tri-Service) Notes/Caveats: 1. UK Regulars comprise Full time Service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service, Locally Engaged Personnel, Non Regular Permanent Staff, High Readiness Reserve and Expeditionary Forces Institute personnel. Unless otherwise stated, includes Trained and Untrained personnel.2. Intake comprises all personnel joining the Armed Forces either as new entrants or re-entrants.3. Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) includes Volunteer Reserves who are mobilised, High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Volunteer Reserve personnel serving on Additional Duties Commitment or Full Time Reserve Service contracts. Sponsored Reserves who provide a more cost effective solution than volunteer reserve are also included in the Army Reserve FR20. Non Regular Permanent Staff, Expeditionary Forces Institute, University Officer Cadets and Regular Reservists are excluded.4. Gender is a self-reported field on the Joint Personnel Administration System.5. The yearly Intake-Periods are defined as the 12 months ending 30 September for each respective year.6. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 in line with disclosure control policy. Figures ending in 5 are rounded to the nearest 20 to avoid systematic bias. Please note that due to rounding, the total figures in the above tables may not equal the corresponding sum of figures for each Service.7. These figures can be found in Tables 7 and 23 in the last five October Editions of the "UK Armed Forces Biannual Diversity Statistics" published on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-index

Counter-terrorism: Training

Lord Godson: To ask His Majesty's Government how much theMinistry of Defencehas spent on the Issues in Countering Terrorism course by the Centre for Defence Studies at King's College London in the last 12 months, and on what dates the training has taken place.

The Earl of Minto: In the last 12 months a total of nine Ministry of Defence (MOD) personnel have attended the 'Issues in Countering Terrorism' course at King's College London across three iterations: 28 - 30 March; 18 - 12 September; and 18 - 20 December. Because the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office commissions the course for HM Government, MOD has incurred no cost related to this attendance.

Global Combat Air Programme: Small Businesses

The Earl of Effingham: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are takingto promote, encourage and ensure the involvement of UKsmall and medium sized-enterprisesin the supply chain for the global combat air programme.

The Earl of Minto: This Government recognises that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make a significant contribution to the defence supply chain and wider UK prosperity. That is why we are taking steps to make it easier for SMEs to access opportunities and to bid for requirements. We are also encouraging our major suppliers to publish their own sub-contract opportunities through the Defence Sourcing Portal, making it easier for SMEs to find and bid in for defence work. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) will be hosting a SME event to help support the procurement activity of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). This initial event will explore the opportunities GCAP presents, as well as giving SMEs direct contact with prime suppliers and senior MOD stakeholders connected to the programme.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Jimmy Lai

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to issue a public statement in response to targeting by the government Hong Kong's of (1) Benedict Rogers of Hong Kong Watch, (2) Luke de Pulford of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, and (3) Bill Browder of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign,byalleging involvement with the case of British citizen Jimmy Lai.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Jimmy Lai's case is a priority for the Government. The Foreign Secretary has called for his release and has urged the authorities to end their prosecution and repeal the National Security Law. We continue to engage with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities on his case and have raised our opposition to the inclusion of British nationals in the prosecution's case. We are offering support to the British nationals who have been named.

Armed Conflict: Peace Negotiations

The Lord Bishop of Worcester: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) toassess the lessons of the Oslo peace process, especially in relation to the inclusion of regional actors, and (2) to apply those lessons in their response to current calls from regional players for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Our position is that for a peaceful solution, four things must happen - there must be a Palestinian-led government in Gaza and the West Bank, a concrete plan to help reform and support the Palestinian Authority, a massive reconstruction plan for Gaza and a political horizon towards a two-state solution. The UK worked extensively with regional partners, notably the UAE, in the adoption of UNSCR 2720, which set out the urgent demand for expanded humanitarian access and the steps towards a sustainable ceasefire. The Foreign Secretary and Minister of State for the Middle East continue to discuss and press for the action that needs to be taken to increase aid to Gaza in their regular calls with their Israeli, Egyptian, Jordanian, Lebanese, US and Palestinian Authority counterparts.

Counter-terrorism: Training

Lord Godson: To ask His Majesty's Government how much the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has spent on the Issues in Countering Terrorism course by the Centre for Defence Studies at King's College London in the last 12 months, and on what dates the training has taken place.

Lord Benyon: The Issues in Countering Terrorism course, delivered by King's College London, was held four times in 2023: 28th February to 2nd March; 28th to 30th March; 18th, 19th and 21st September; and 18th to 20th December. The FCDO has spent £109,583.68 on those courses in total, with 32 people attending each course. The course is administered through a Cabinet Office contract.

Developing Countries: Railways

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to draw onacademic expertise to help deliver financially sustainable rail infrastructure in developing countries.

Lord Benyon: The FCDO funds academic research into transport in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Rail examples include 1) the High-Volume Transport programme supporting modelling on the viability of hydrogen engines for rail lines in Africa and research into more resilient infrastructure and systems, including rail; and 2) the ieConnect programme evaluating mobility impacts of rail construction in Dakar, Senegal. Both programmes' research includes safety and accessibility of trains for women, girls and people with disabilities.The Green Cities and Infrastructure Centre of Expertise will use this evidence to advise partner governments on infrastructure policies and investments in large scale urban infrastructure projects.

Home Office: Training

Lord Godson: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the different presentations given to civil servants on the Issues in Countering Terrorism course by the Centre for Defence Studies at King's College London, redacted as necessary for national security and public safety.

Lord Benyon: The FCDO does not own the Intellectual Property Rights for the presentations given on the course and cannot place them in the Library of the House.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Wind Power

Earl Russell: To ask His Majesty's Government how many onshorewind projects consisting of individual turbines were completed in 2023; and what steps they are taking to increase the number of new onshore wind farms.

Lord Callanan: Government does not routinely collect information on the number of turbines that make up onshore wind farms, with the exception of larger projects tracked by the Renewable Energy Planning Database. Nevertheless, Government sees onshore wind of all sizes as an important part of the energy mix and supports large-scale onshore wind farms through the Contracts for Difference Scheme and small-scale onshore wind farms through the Smart Export Guarantee.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Databases

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Markham on 27 February 2023 (HL5458) and 14 March 2023 (HL5916), and following the completion of the Federated Data Platform and Associated Services procurement, whether they will now place in the Library of the House examples of (1) the YAML specifications, and (2) the Python code, mentioned.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 27 February (HL5458), whether they will place in the Library of the House examples of (1) the YAML specifications, and (2) the Python code, currently used to create or define dashboards within the NHS installation of Palantir Foundry.

Lord Markham: NHS England will from time to time publish examples of specifications and code that are deemed useful to the wider community and industry, including where appropriate the sharing of code within the NHS GitHub. To ensure that NHS England is creating a vibrant marketplace for both end users and for industry, we aim to publish the Canonical Data Model structures and metadata in line with the Technology Code of Practice. NHS England has already published the General Practice Workforce Metrics repository in the NHS GitHub which provides example code already in use and for products which will transition to the Federated Data Platform and will review as the platform is implemented what further specifications and code should be published.

Medical Equipment: Coronavirus

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government when the Government lease expires on the warehouse space currently used to house the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve.

Lord Markham: The warehousing of the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve is managed by NHS Supply Chain on behalf of the Department.There is no dedicated warehouse space allocated to the reserve. It is stored across multiple sites, in and amongst NHS Supply Chain’s wider holdings, making the best use of the capacity available. The Department pays for this storage on a ‘per pallet, per week’ basis, resulting in zero costs once all holdings have been disposed of following closure of the reserve.

Medical Equipment: Coronavirus

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government what were the contents of the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve on 31 December 2023.

Lord Markham: The following table shows the contents of the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve as of the first week of December 2023, the latest period for which data is available: EquipmentDecember 2023Enteral feed pumps1140Humidifiers4714Mechanical ventilator - Anaesthetic53Mechanical ventilator - Emergency5093Mechanical ventilator - ICU3083Mechanical ventilator - Transport949Non-invasive Ventilator (NIV) bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPaP)3339NIV continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)6682NIV high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO)187Oxygen concentrators2874Oxygen regulators1564Patient monitors2439Suction pumps307Syringe drivers21319Volumetric pumps1588

Cardiovascular Diseases: Medical Equipment

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of delayed medical device access on achieving the priorities set in the NHS Long Term Plan, including early diagnosis and detection of cardiovascular diseases.

Lord Markham: NHS England’s cardiovascular disease (CVD) programme team has not been made aware of any issues with access to any specific devices that are causing a delay in CVD detection or diagnosis.The Government has committed more than £8 billion between 2022/23 and 2024/25 to help drive up and protect elective activity, including CVD. This includes rolling out up to 160 community diagnostic centres which will provide echocardiography services by March 2025. In addition, the National Health Service will seek to increase capacity through arrangements with other trusts or the independent sector and increase activity through dedicated and protected surgical hubs.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Demos and Breast Cancer Now reportThe Cost of Breast Cancer: Modelling the economic impact to the UK, published on 22 January,what assessment they have made of the economic benefits of increasing breast screening uptake.

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government, based on the current speed of recovery, what estimate they have made of whenbreast screening uptake in England could reach the achievable target of 80 per cent.

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by theMinister of State for the Department of Health and Social Care on 15 September 2023 (198696), whether they will make the Uptake Improvement Plan for the breast screening programme public.

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State at the Department for Health and Social Care on 15 September 2023 (198696), what actions are included in the Uptake Improvement Plan for the breast screening programme; and what are the recommended timeframes for those actions.

Lord Markham: Whilst no assessment has been made of the economic benefits of increasing breast screening uptake or the timescales for reaching the achievable target of 80%, the Government continues to be committed to supporting and improving uptake the NHS breast screening programme.A national plan has been developed by NHS England in collaboration with key stakeholders such as cancer alliances, to improve uptake in the breast screening programme from 2023 and beyond; this is in line with the Long Term Plan commitment that by 2028, 75% of cancers will be diagnosed at stages one and two.The improvement plan is not set to be published, but covers the priorities and interventions needed to increase uptake. This includes expanding access to screening, reducing inequalities, continuing to develop IT systems to improve data analytics, and ensuring communications are inclusive and accessible to all.

Medical Equipment: Regulation

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in aligning medical device regulations with those of international counterparts, and what impact this alignment is expected to have on patient safety, healthcare efficiency and innovation in the life sciences sector.

Lord Markham: Following the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) Consultation on the future regulation of medical devices in the United Kingdom, we have committed to undertaking full reform of the current regulatory regime for medical devices in the UK. The MHRA’s Roadmap towards the future regulatory framework for medical devices sets out a route to deliver, enabling regulation via a series of new statutory instruments (SIs). Priority measures to protect patient safety will be put in place this year, with core elements of the new framework intended to be in place by 2025. A draft statutory instrument to introduce strengthened post market surveillance requirements is planned to be laid in the first part of 2024. A copy of the roadmap is attached.Following the announcement on the Chancellor’s Life Sciences Growth package in May 2023, we continue to progress the development of a framework for international recognition, including through targeted engagement with stakeholders, building on the outline proposals for alternative routes to market which were included in our 2021 consultation. The planned regulations are also designed to deliver greater international harmonisation, with more patient-centred, proportionate requirements for medical devices which are responsive to technological advances.Implementing the remainder of the changes outlined in the June 2022 Government response to the 2021 consultation is ongoing. In September 2023, we launched the Innovative Devices Access Pathway as pilot, building the UK offer to innovators of medical devices addressing un-met clinical needs. In the coming year, we also plan to lay further SIs, bringing clarity to industry of the requirements they will need to meet to launch products in the UK in the future. Whilst these changes were outlined in the 2022 government response, we will ramp up our targeted engagement to ensure implementation is done smoothly and in a way that protects ongoing safe supply of products to UK patients.Roadmap_towards_the_future_regulatory_framework_fo (pdf, 363.1KB)

Alzheimer's Disease: Health Services

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve treatment and care for patients with Alzheimer's.

Lord Markham: We want a society where every person with dementia, their families and carers, receive high quality, compassionate care, from diagnosis through to end of life. To improve care for patients with dementia, including those with Alzheimer’s disease, NHS England's RightCare team is refreshing the RightCare Dementia Scenario. The scenario works through the dementia well pathway journey from diagnosing well through to dying well, detailing optimal and sub optimal approaches, with associated costings for each. The RightCare team is developing a dementia model pathway based on data for each component of the dementia well pathway to provide a high-level view of what dementia care activity looks like for local areas and will support targeted support where appropriate. There are also several potential new disease modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease in development. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), NHS England and the Department are working closely to ensure that arrangements are in place to support the adoption of any new licensed and NICE recommended treatment for dementia as soon as possible.

Medical Equipment: Coronavirus

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government how much warehouse space was required to house (1) the total contents of the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserveon 31 December 2023, and (2) the ventilators that make up part of that reserve.

Lord Markham: The warehousing of the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve is managed by NHS Supply Chain on behalf of the Department. The requirement is based on number of pallets. On 31 December 2023, the reserve totalled 29,844 pallets, of which 3,317 related to ventilators.

Cancer: Health Services

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure equitable access to cancer treatment and care across different regions of the UK; and what steps they are taking to improve cancer survival rates.

Lord Markham: Reducing inequalities and variation in cancer treatment is a priority for this Government as is increasing early cancer diagnosis, as this is a key contributor to reducing cancer health inequalities. People in deprived areas are at greater risk of contracting cancer, more likely to have a cancer diagnosed at a later stage and suffer from higher cancer death rates and poorer survival. Survival rates have been improving for almost all cancers and across all demographics, with 74.6% people surviving a year after diagnosis, up from 65.6% in 2005, and 55.7% surviving five years, up from 47.9% in 2005.The National Health Service has rolled out Targeted Lung Health Checks, prioritising more deprived areas, so that people in the most deprived quintile are now more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer at an early stage, namely stage one or two, than those in the least deprived quintile, giving them a much greater chance of survival.On 14 August 2023, the Government published a strategic framework for the Major Conditions Strategy to consider the six conditions, including cancer, that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England, including cancer. The Major Conditions Strategy will apply a geographical lens to each condition to address regional disparities in health outcomes, supporting the levelling up mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy by 2030.

Spinal Injuries: Health Services

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of freedom of information requests by the Spinal Injuries Associationthat show large regional variation in the provision of services for patients with spinal injurieswith regard to neurogenic bowel care interventions, including digital rectal stimulation and the digital removal of faeces; and what action they plan to take in response to those findings.

Lord Markham: We have made no assessment. Neurogenic bowel care interventions, including digital rectal examination, digital rectal stimulation and the digital removal of faeces are all locally commissioned services.NHS England’s Excellence in continence care guidance, published in 2018, gives practical guidance for commissioners, providers, health and social care staff to help ensure people receive excellent continence care consideration. It addresses how providers can overcome implementation challenges of services such as digital rectal examination, digital rectal stimulation and the digital removal of faeces services. A copy of the guidance is attached.excellence-in-continence-care (pdf, 626.2KB)

Courts: Medical Records

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what checks are in place to ensure that information from NHS records used in courts has been obtained without coercion.

Lord Markham: The Department does not routinely monitor how National Health Service records are used in courts but there are extensive safeguards in place to ensure people are not being coerced to access their medical records online, which NHS England has developed by engaging with professional bodies, patients, charities, and safeguarding experts. This engagement has also helped shape NHS England’s patient and general practitioner (GP) communications packs and advice, the messages issued on the NHS App and the NHS website and system changes. Communication packs have also been issued to over 50 charities which support people who may be at risk. People can only access their prospective records via the NHS App. Before viewing their record in the NHS App, users are given advice about what to do if they are being pressured to share their information. Patients are able to prevent access via an online process, by disabling their NHS login or can request that their GP redact details of specific consultations or treatment.

Disability: Screening

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that routine diagnostic tests, such as mammograms and cervical smears, are made available on the NHS to women who are paralysed following spinal cord injury and are wheelchair bound.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the absence of special provisions in the NHS to provide routine diagnostic tests such as mammograms and cervical smears to women who are paralysed following a spinal cord injury and are wheelchair bound complies with the Equality Act 2010.

Lord Markham: Under the Equality Act 2010 and the Health and Social Care Act 2012, National Health Service screening providers have a legal duty to make sure screening services are accessible to everyone, including people with one or more protected characteristics.NHS England is committed to improving the accessibility of the screening programmes it commissions under the Public Health Services (S7a) agreement, particularly for under-served groups in society such as those with disabilities. Contractually, providers of NHS screening services are required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that their services are accessible for people with disabilities.Services make reasonable adjustments within the constraints of equipment, to ensure that disabled people are offered the opportunity to have screening, however there may be situations where this is not possible. Providers will deal with these on a case-by-case basis and offer an alternative approach as necessary.

Medical Records: Data Protection

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will set out the criteria to be used by NHS England to establish robust governance of the operation and management of the Advisory Group for Data and for the periodic audit of its business.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish all performance management and audits undertaken by NHS England into the work and performance of the Advisory Group for Data.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Markham on 25 January 2023 (HL Deb col 280) that the transfer of certain statutory functions would not weaken existing protections data and that data protection would remain a priority, what assessment they have made of the consistency with those remarks of the conclusion of the Data, Digital and Technology Committee of NHS England on 12 July 2023 that the Advisory Group for Data should be audited to ensure its decisions “are proportionate and are not unnecessarily disruptive to delivery and transformation”.

Lord Markham: The advisory group for data (AGD) is central to ensuring that the transfer of NHS Digital's statutory functions to NHS England does not weaken existing protections of data.The Secretary of State has issued statutory guidance about the exercise by NHS England of the transferred data functions. This statutory guidance requires NHS England to seek advice from a data advisory group, namely the AGD, on specific data access requests, and to support the development and maintenance of precedents, standards and guidance on data access. Terms of reference for the AGD are under consideration by NHS England following a consultation process. The terms of reference will be published once agreed by NHS England’s board or an appropriate sub-committee of the board. NHS England will also be transparent about the group’s operating processes. In line with this statutory guidance, NHS England will report annually on how it has discharged the transferred data functions.We do not intend to set any criteria to be used by NHS England beyond what has already been set out in the statutory guidance, which will be kept under review.

Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Independent Review

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety ReviewreportFirst Do No Harm, published on 8 July 2020.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to implement all of the recommendations contained in theIndependent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review report First Do No Harm, published on 8 July 2020.

Lord Markham: The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety (IMMDS) Review was clear in its finding that the healthcare system failed to listen to patients’ concerns on the issues covered by the review. The Government’s 2021 response to the review set out which of the review’s recommendations the Government had accepted. We also published an update in an online-only format in December 2022 setting out progress made against those recommendations, which includes appointing the first ever Patient Safety Commissioner in England to champion patients’ voices in relation to the safety of medicines and medical devices. In April 2023, the Government also responded to the recommendations made by the Health and Social Care Committee in its report ‘Follow-up on the IMMDS report and the Government’s response’, published in January 2023. A copy of the follow-up report is attached.IMMDS follow-up report (pdf, 365.3KB)

Surgical Mesh Implants: Compensation

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to theIndependent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review reportFirst Do No Harm, published on 8 July 2020, what discussions they have had regarding the provision of monetary compensation for people adversely affected by clinical and surgical pelvic mesh.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the recommendation for an Independent Redress Agency in theIndependent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review reportFirst Do No Harm, published on 8 July 2020.

Lord Markham: The Government has asked the Patient Safety Commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes, to undertake work looking at redress for people harmed by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate. The work is intended to focus on the views of those affected, improving the understanding of how many people have been affected and how, the case for redress and what form it could take.The Patient Safety Commissioner office has stated that the report setting out the findings from this work is expected to be published on 7 February this year. The Government will consider the report’s findings before deciding how to proceed on this matter.The Government published its response to the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety review in July 2021, which did not accept the recommendation to establish a redress agency, this position remains unchanged.